No need to clarify after MEA stand on Doklam issue : Arun Jaitley

The Union Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley has refused to interpret the significance of resolution of the China-India face-off at Doklam, saying it was a “sensitive” issue and that the government had already conveyed its position, reports PTI.

The External Affairs Ministry has already articulated the government’s stand on the issue, he told reporters at a briefing.

“Given the sensitivity of the issue, there is no need to make multiple statements,” Jaitley said when asked whether the resolution of the Doklam standoff was a big achievement for India.

Jaitley, who also announced the government’s decision to carry out major reforms in the Army to enhance its combat capability, said the exercise had nothing to do with any specific incident and had been going on since much before Doklam.

He was responding to a question that whether the reform process was undertaken keeping in view the Doklam incident.

Troops of the two countries had been locked in a standoff in Doklam since June 16 after Indian army personnel stopped the Chinese Army from building a road in the disputed area.

On August 28, the MEA had announced that both the countries agreed to an “expeditious disengagement” at the face-off site following diplomatic communications.